8 Causes Of Chapped Lips And 8 Ways To Prevent Them

With winter coming around the corner, most people begin to experience chronically chapped lips and even wind burn in certain conditions. Still, for a group of unlucky folks chronically chapped lips is more of an every season and every day issue.

Lip skin is sensitive and delicate. It’s arguably some of the most delicate skin on your body, so skin splits (or chapped lips) can come about swiftly if you’re not proactive. If chapped lips are a chronic occurrence for you then you should definitely listen up; because there are some proactive steps you can take to prevent the pain.

Chapped lips freaking suck. I think everyone knows the feeling of painfully chapped lips and then biting the dead skin which draws a little blood. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. Or, when you want to wear the perfect lipstick to go with your outfit and you apply it only for your lips to look like a colorful-worn leather purse. It’s so annoying. Oy vey!

If you just want to know what are the causes of chapped lips and how to get rid of them, you’ve come to the right place.

The Most Common Causes of Chapped Lips

It’s surprising how much of our daily lifestyle aspects can influence the subtle and sudden arrival of chapped lips any time of the year, especially winter. Let’s take a brief look at some of the most common causes of chapped lips.

Exposure To Cold Air

The cold air that blows around during winter is of dry nature that naturally causes dehydration. This combined with the high temperature of the sun can easily lead to chapped lips. This is exactly why winter has always been the traditional season of lip balms and chap sticks in the USA and Europe.

Not drinking Enough Water

If you’re suffering from chapped lips all around the year and yet find yourself dumbfounded then the hidden culprit might be your habit of not drinking enough water during the day. Most of us become so accustomed to caffeinated drinks and cold drinks that we forget that they are not a replacement for natural drinking water to maintain proper hydration levels for the human.

The Habit Of Biting Down And Licking Your Lips

Many of us have the childish habit of biting down on our lower lips or licking it when we’re stressed or tensed. Though this might seem harmless, the chemical in our saliva easy breaks down the soft and delicate skin of the lips, resulting in chapped lips

Sleeping With Your Mouth Open

Though sleeping in this manner is highly unhygienic, a lot of us still have this habit as adults. When you sleep with your mouth open you naturally drool and the saliva set in the corners of your lips leading to cracks in your lips.

Nutritional Deficiencies In Your Daily Diet

Another leading cause of chapped lips all year round is the lack of proper vitamins and minerals in your diet that keep the skin healthy. Lack of the proper nutrients not only leads to chapped lips but bad skin as well.

Side-effects of medications

If you’ve read the causes so far and things don’t add up in your case, the secret culprit responsible for your chapped lips might be your doctor’s prescription. Though not a very common scenario, certain pharmaceutical medicine can also lead to the development of chapped lips.

Chemical Reaction To Mouth Products

Toothpastes and mouthwashes have different chemical combinations and some might not be suitable for the skin of your lips. If you find yourself suffering from chapped lips after using a new mouth product, then it might not be the best idea to keep using it.

Spicy and Fried Food

Eating excessive amounts of spicy and fried food is also a leading cause of chapped lips. How many times have you come home from an authentic Indian restaurant breathing fire and waking up the next morning with your lips feeling like they’re literally on fire? Spice and dried food leads to extreme dehydration and certain spices react badly with the sensitive skin of the lips as well.

Preventing Chapped Lips

Now that you know the most common causes of chapped lips, it’s time to learn how to prevent them so you can have healthy and beautiful looking lips all year round.

Using A Heater During Winter

This is a no brainer actually, but a lot of people accustomed to cold weather tend to forget this. Remember, we’re not Canadians!

Always Carry A Lip Balm Or Chap Stick

Whether you suffer from chapped lips only during winter or all year round, it never hurts to keep a small lip balm or chap stick with you all the time. Add one to your make up kit just as a backup and you should be ready for this menace anytime, anywhere. We recommend Sky Organics Organic Beeswax and Coconut Oil Lip Balm due to its ability to moisturize, lightweight feeling, and natural anti-inflammatory properties.

Exfoliate Your Lips

Your skin sheds itself routinely and sometimes it needs a little help. If you deal with chronically chapped lips, it could be that for various reasons the skin on your lips needs a little help removing itself. A sugar lip scrub like Beauty For Real’s Lip Revival will help you slough off the old skin and reveal the new.

Keep Yourself Hydrated

Even if you have a lot of juice and other liquids in your daily diet, drink 6-8 glasses of water every day (approx. serving 250 ml). Not only will this prevent chapped lips but also improve the overall functioning of your body as well.

Get Rid Of Your Bad Habits

If have the bad habit of biting and licking your lips or sleeping with your mouth open, you need to get rid of these habits ASAP. Try chewing gums or reach for your lip balm if you feel the urge to lick or bite your lips. Meditation is a good way to stop preventing sleeping with your mouth open with autosuggestions.

Have A Healthy Diet

A properly balanced nutritious diet is not that hard to achieve and mostly consists of changing your eating habits. Lack of Vitamin B, zinc and iron in your daily diet is the main cause of chapped lips, so ensure that these 3 nutrition elements are present in sufficient quantity in your daily diet.

Using Natural Medication And Mouth Products

For most pharmaceutical medicines out there, there is at least one natural medicine counterpart that can handle most medical conditions more effectively than your everyday FDA approved pills. Same goes for mouth products as well. Consult with a good doctor regarding natural alternatives for your dental and physical care and medication.

Avoid Spicy And Fried Food

I can very well understand the temptation of spicy and fried foods which is exactly why I will not hypocritically ask my readers to give up on them. Instead, try to decrease the amount and frequency in which you take them.

These measures are applicable in common cases of chapped lips that sustain for a few days’ time before healing. But if you notice that the condition is sustaining for more than few days, then you should definitely go see a doctor.